April 10, 2009

The Fourth Annual Statewide Summit for Bilingual Parents will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at the Hotel Doubletree Oak Brook, 1909 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. School districts with bilingual/ESL programs are strongly encouraged to register a delegation of bilingual parents who are members of Parent Advisory Councils (PACs) and staff who work with the PACs. While this summit is aimed at members of PACs, other bilingual parents are also encouraged to attend. Keynote presenters include Dr. Pauline Clardy from Illinois State University, Normal and Dr. Linda Espinosa from the University of Missouri, Columbia.

The Illinois State Board of Education will reimburse school districts for registration costs ($200 for each person) for up to ten persons (eight parents and two school representatives.) In addition, if the delegation travels more than 50 miles, the district will be reimbursed for travel expenses. The registration deadline is April 17th. To obtain a registration form and get additional details regarding reimbursement, go to http://www.thecenterweb.org/irc/index.html and click on "4th Annual Summit for Bilingual Parents" on the right hand side of the screen.

Please fill out and send registration forms along with payment to the Illinois Resource Center byFRIDAY, APRIL 17th. If you have specific questions about payment by purchase order, check, or credit card, call the Illinois Resource Center at 224-366-8555. Make sure to register parents and bilingual program staff now for this important event!